chess

In this game, which is very appreciated in western
countries, two players lead armies composed of
different pieces. Each piece's power and
importance is represented by its movement. The
variety and long range of the movements
available create an extremely dynamic and complex game. To
be successful you must plan a long-term
strategy and be vigialant of every move, for
one mistake mays cost you the game.

The game originated in 6th century India,
from where it spread across the globe. It
reached the modern format in 15th century
Europe and, since then, chess strategy and
organizations have greatly developed.

For 2 players, with an approximate duration
of 40 minutes for casual play. The rules of
chess are actually quite simple, but the game can be
deep and complex even for experienced players. It
can be great fun as a game and a great mental
challenge as a sport – you choose which.

History

Chess descends from board games developed in India,
the oldest recorded being known as “chaturanga”, from
the sixth century of our era. The game was soon taken
into Persia where it was adopted by the nobility (the
expression “check-mate” descends from persian “Shāh
Māt” , meaning “the king is helpless”). Following the
Islamic Conquer of Persia in the seventh century, the
game was brought into the Muslim world, from where it
spread into Europe, from Portugal to Russia.

In Europe, chess soon became a popular game rich in
variations. Since it was a game of skill rather than
luck, it became popular with noblemen, scholars,
knights and clergy alike. In the fifteenth century it
had roughly the same rules as the modern game. The
eighteenth century saw the popularization of
tournaments, the crescent community of professional
players and an unprecedented sophistication of
techniques.

A story commonly associated with chess tells us that
an Indian mathematician, having invented chess,
presented it to his king. The king was so impressed
that he allowed the mathematician to choose his own
reward - and what he asked was, simply, rice. He asked
the king for one grain of rice for the first square on
the board and for each next square twice the rice of
the previous (so two grains for the second square, four
grains for the third square and so on). The king
promptly accepted but, after weeks, still no one could
calculate the size of the king's debt - they only knew
the cost of all that rice was greater than the value of
the whole kingdom. To honor his debt, the king was then
forced to give the whole of his kingdom to the
mathematician.

(In case you're wondering, the result would be just
less than 18.5 quintillion grains: a mountain of rice
taller than Mount Everest and enough to provide for all
contemporary demand for rice for 800 years.)